fetchmail 4.6.3 through 6.3.16, when debug mode is enabled, does not properly handle invalid characters in a multi-character locale, which a
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 18/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 2.1% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 82.3% of all records.
- Fixed version: fetchmail (Debian:12) 6.3.16-2; fetchmail (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 6.3.26-13.4.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to fetchmail (Debian:12) 6.3.16-2; fetchmail (openSUSE:Tumbleweed) 6.3.26-13.4 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
fetchmail 4.6.3 through 6.3.16, when debug mode is enabled, does not properly handle invalid characters in a multi-character locale, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption and application crash) via a crafted (1) message header or (2) POP3 UIDL list.
- Published
- May 7, 2010
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 2.1% · 82th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-20
Report tools
Action score
18
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 17 / 40 · 4.3 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 2.1%
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| fetchmail | fetchmail | cpe:2.3:a:fetchmail:fetchmail |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- fetchmail fetchmailup to 6.3.9 inclusive
- fetchmail fetchmail4.6.3
- fetchmail fetchmail4.6.4
- fetchmail fetchmail4.6.5
- fetchmail fetchmail4.6.6
- fetchmail fetchmail4.6.7
- fetchmail fetchmail4.6.8
- fetchmail fetchmail4.6.9
- fetchmail fetchmail4.7.0
- fetchmail fetchmail4.7.1
- fetchmail fetchmail4.7.2
- fetchmail fetchmail4.7.3
- fetchmail fetchmail4.7.4
- fetchmail fetchmail4.7.5
- fetchmail fetchmail4.7.6
- fetchmail fetchmail4.7.7
- fetchmail fetchmail5.0.0
- fetchmail fetchmail5.0.1
- fetchmail fetchmail5.0.2
- fetchmail fetchmail5.0.3
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian:12 | fetchmail | before 6.3.16-2 | 6.3.16-2 |
| openSUSE:Tumbleweed | fetchmail | before 6.3.26-13.4 | 6.3.26-13.4 |
Same product
fetchmail: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2001-1009Fetchmail (aka fetchmail-ssl) before 5.8.17 allows a remote malicious (1) IMAP server or (2) POP/POP3 server to overwrite arbitrary memory a42Plan
- CVE-2001-0101Vulnerability in fetchmail 5.5.0-2 and earlier in the AUTHENTICATE GSSAPI command.41Plan
- CVE-2006-5974fetchmail 6.3.5 and 6.3.6 before 6.3.6-rc4, when refusing a message delivered via the mda option, allows remote attackers to cause a denial 32Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2009-2666Aug 7, 2009 · socket.c in fetchmail before 6.3.11 does not properly handle a '\0' character in a domain name in the subject's Common Name (CN) field of an25Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2010-0562Feb 8, 2010 · The sdump function in sdump.c in fetchmail 6.3.11, 6.3.12, and 6.3.13, when running in verbose mode on platforms for which char is signed, a28Monitor
- Later →CVE-2011-1947Jun 2, 2011 · fetchmail 5.9.9 through 6.3.19 does not properly limit the wait time after issuing a (1) STARTTLS or (2) STLS request, which allows remote s21Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| debian:fetchmail | 6.3.16-2 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:fetchmail | 6.3.26-13.4 · openSUSE:Tumbleweed | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
If successful
- Confidentiality
- none
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- P · the service can be disrupted
- Attack complexity
- M
- Confidentiality impact
- None
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- P
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-20 · Improper Input ValidationCVSS vector
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Buffer Overflow via Environment VariablesCAPEC-10likelihood: High · High
- Server Side Include (SSI) InjectionCAPEC-101likelihood: High · High
- Cross Zone ScriptingCAPEC-104likelihood: Medium · High
- Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-108likelihood: Low · Very High
- Object Relational Mapping InjectionCAPEC-109likelihood: Low · High
- SQL Injection through SOAP Parameter TamperingCAPEC-110likelihood: High · Very High
- Double EncodingCAPEC-120likelihood: Low · Medium
- Subverting Environment Variable ValuesCAPEC-13likelihood: High · Very High
ATT&CK techniques
- Obfuscated Files or InformationT1027
- Masquerading: Invalid Code SignatureT1036.001
- Steal Web Session CookieT1539
- Subvert Trust Controls: Code SigningT1553.002
- Impair Defenses:Impair Command History LoggingT1562.003
- Hijack Execution Flow:Dynamic Linker HijackingT1574.006
- Hijack Execution Flow:Path Interception by PATH Environment VariableT1574.007
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
Show all references (4 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.